In a certain district of the Golden Bird city there was a luxurious hotel. It was a common knowledge amongst the people of the entire city that this particular hotel was reserved for only the most special guests; like powerful nobles, administrative officers or the warriors.

While it remained closed for the most part of the year, due to the ongoing tournament that the city was hosting, it was currently open and housed only the very special guests that had arrived for the tourney.

Naturally, due to the importance of the guests, this hotel was strictly guarded around the perimeters by hordes of guards constantly patrolling it. In fact, so strict was the security that even the stray dogs that got too close to the hotel were instantly shot and killed by the archers stationed at the walls. And yet, these vigilant guards couldn't spot a silhouette of a person swiftly and stealthily crawling the walls of the hotel. Even the elite archers who could shoot a sparrow down at night by only the sound of its wings flapping failed to notice the shadow as it made its way to the top and into a room via the windows.

* * *

"Useless, the lot of them," said the voice of a man.

This man was the very one who had climbed the hotel and into the room, besting the guards patrolling the perimeters of the building. Once inside the room, the lights revealed him to be a man dressed in all black. Even his face was entirely covered by a black mask with no openings whatsoever even for his eyes.

"What do you expect? These are not even warriors, just the best men amongst the city's forces. Besides, even if they were warriors, they wouldn't have even noticed you, let alone stop you, your highness."

Another man, who was in the room from the very beginning replied to him. This particular man was not dressed in a thief like manner like our previous intruder. In fact, he was wearing some sort of pyjama as if he had made himself comfortable in this room. His behaviour clearly implied that this was, in fact, his very own room and despite this fact, he was not one bit uncomfortable with the man before him who had intruded into this room. Rather, he had a light smile on his face while talking to the intruder.

"But your highness, you really are stubborn. Why go to such lengths to enter into your own room when you can just walk right into this building."

"I don't think you understand the meaning of disguise Krishna. If I waltz into the building just like that, won't they discover my identity?"

Indeed, the one who this intruder was talking to was Krishna, the Royal Warrior and the retainer of the second prince of Shivpur, prince Kartik.

With his previous words, the masked intruder lifted his mask off which revealed a cold and stern face. If any of the people who were present during the first day of the tournament were here to witness, they would clearly recognize the owner of this face to be Asru, the rogue warrior who had effortlessly incapacitated his opponent in the first match. At that time, Asru had proclaimed himself to be a rogue warrior who had descended from the Himalayas but clearly this was not the case.

"Why must you go through such rigor even after I taught you my clan's secret art of disguise?" Krishna asked with a tired voice.

"Your clan's arts are really praiseworthy Krishna but one can never be too careful. Wasn't it you who taught me this in the first place?" Asru replied.

"Yeah but right now, I am really regretting it. I never thought that your highness would end up taking it this seriously!!" Krishna exclaimed.

"Come on, you are clearly exaggerating. This much detail is necessary."

"Necessary? Your highness calls it necessary? Haven't you realized that even now, you are in disguise?"

"Aah.." Asru said in a guilty tone.

Immediately after that, he closed his eyes in concentration and began circulating prana within him. Asru had a sharp black and a mature face that exuded the aura of someone who had harshly spent his life in countless battles. This really aligned with his proclamation of being a rogue warrior who had descended from the Himalayas. But as he began circulating the prana inside him, changes began to appear within his body.

His sharp black eyes changed color to a deep blue shade and his mature looking face began transforming. His skin became soft and younger and lighter in shade, even his hair changed colors. Previously it was dirty black but now it was more sleek and polished. Overall, his self became much more refined.

When Asru finally opened his eyes, he was a completely new person. His previous stern looking face was now gone, replaced with a much handsome and attractive face that could make any woman squeak in excitement. Previously, he looked someone who was in his mid twenties, but now he looked like a boy of sixteen or seventeen. His face was now clearly exuding a noble and commanding aura that one could never achieve by training alone.

"Every time I see you do this, I can't help but feel proud of you my prince. It's my clan's arts and you do it better than the half of them," said Krishna.

"Compared to you, who can even change his build with this art, I am a complete novice," Asru said with indifference.

"Ah, don't be hard on yourself your highness, I have been practicing this art since the time my second Chakra opened and you have only been doing it since six or seven months. To achieve this level of mastery over this art, your talents could already said to be monstrous compared to others." Krishna praised him in his earnest.

"But it still isn't enough, he could have accomplished it in half that time." Asru said with contempt which was directed at himself.

"*Sigh*"

At Asru's response, Krishna ended up sighing. Even this level of monstrous talent wasn't satisfactory to this young man who was in front of him. His clan's secret art of disguise, Naqaab [1], was an art which required an outstanding control of one's prana and a vivid imagination. Even he who was the heir of his clan, could only achieve the level of disguise that Asru displayed, in the third year of his training and that too was with considerable effort.

That it took him so long to begin to master this art did not mean that Krishna was untalented. Rather, he had an outstanding talent. The fact that he was a royal warrior and a retainer of the second prince spoke for itself. It was just that, this art was that much difficult to master. This only served to show how godly his prince's talent really was but even with this amount of natural talents, his prince wasn't satisfied.

`This competitiveness.. What a troublesome prince,` Krishna inwardly sighed.

As if sensing Krishna's inner thoughts, Asru spoke up,

"You still don't approve?"

"It's your decision my prince, what is there for me to disapprove?" Krishna replied in a respectful manner.

"That again? How many times have I told you to not talk to me like that Krishna? If my own retainer does not express honesty towards me, how do you expect the others to do so?"

Krishna's reply had clearly agitated Asru and a look of irritation that somehow suggested that they had had this exact conversation several times before was apparent on his face. As if sensing it, Krishna hurriedly apologized to him.

"I beg your pardon your highness. It won't happen again."

"Says the man who said the exact lines five times before. Anyways, let's drop it. Tell me, did you get something to eat? I am starving."

Krishna immediately brought him a tray full of delicacies and without further words, Asru dug right into it.

"So your highness, did you find anything?"

Asru took a gulp of wine to swallow down the food and said,

"First of all, stop calling me `your highness` and for that matter, don't even speak a sentence with the word `prince` or `Kartik` on it. And as far as my mission goes, I did get some success. I found that one of the suspects is indeed visiting this town. I will investigate more on him tomorrow night."

"Fantastic job, your hi.. err, what should I call you again?"

"Asru would do."

"Right, fantastic job Asru. So who's the suspect you are talking about?"

"A baron of name Gidha."

"Oh I know him, he is a rather known lecher."

"Even more than you?" Asru asked with an amazed voice.

"Wah! What do you mean your hig.. ahem, Asru! I am not a lecher!!"

"Heh, I know you all too well my dear Krishna. Besides, isn't it true that you have already found yourself a plaything last night? What was her name? Lenny? No, Linny I think."

"Wha.. ? How.. How do you know that?" Krishna was visibly surprised.

"I have my means." Asru said with a hint of mysteriousness.

"Hah? Was your hig.. Asru trailing me again?"

"Stupid. Don't I have anything better to do?" Asru reprimanded him, "I just happened to spot you with that girl is all."

"Oooh.. Your high.. Erm, do I really need to do this? Aren't we inside our own room now? What harm is calling you prince Kartik inside here?"

"You really are no good other than swinging your fists Krishna. I tell you again, your clan's Naqaab is wasted on you."

"How mean!" Krishna exclaimed dramatically, "I am really quite adept at infiltration you know. It's just that, you are my prince and calling you by a mere name.. it somehow feels disrespectful."

"Aah.. Do whatever you like." Asru said with a defeated tone.

"So, my prince, what was I saying? Yes, you really have become quite adept at hiding your presence. Even I couldn't find you observing me.. Aah, it makes me so proud." Krishna again said it dramatically.

"Doesn't that simply means that you are weak?" Kartik shot him down.

"Uuuu.. My prince is really becoming more and more mean by the day.."

"And my Royal retainer is really becoming more and more of a pain by the day."

Krishna didn't refute his prince's harsh words. As he saw it, this was the closest thing to a friendly banter that this stoic prince of his ever had with anyone. This made him happy instead.

After Kartik finished his meal, Krishna cleared the empty trays from the table and took a seat opposite to him.

"So your highness, are you enjoying the tournament?"

"Chhe! These so called warriors are the weakest that I ever saw.. What's there to even enjoy?"

"Don't say that your highness, after all, not all of them were weak." Krishna smiled.

"You mean that moron from the Uttara Sect? What was his name again?"

"Visha."

"Yeah, that's the one. A no brains but all brawn idiot like you who likes to flaunt his power in front of the audience." Kartik had a hint of disdain in his voice as he said these words.

"Hehe, you can say whatever you want your highness but he is an entire realm above you. Even I might have some problems when facing him, I don't see it being any easier for you."

"Whatever, if it gets too complex then I will just walk out of the match." Kartik said.

"But your highness! His majesty has explicitly ordered you to win this one! How can you simply walk out of it?" Krishna said with alarm.

"It's just a stupid tournament. I wouldn't have come here in the first place if it wasn't for this investigation. And regarding father, I don't care whatever he does."

His reply made Krishna appalled. When his prince had first decided to participate in this tournament in disguise, Krishna had merely assumed that he was doing it for the sake of a fair match. After all, who would be so daring to fight a prince with any thoughts of besting him?

While it appeared sensible to him at that time, only now did he understand his prince's real reasoning. He wasn't interested in the tournament since the start!! The only reason that he had used the disguise to enter the tournament was for the fact that he could easily withdraw if things got too messy.

Valor was one of the principles of a warrior but clearly, his prince didn't have it. No! Rather than saying that his prince didn't have valor, it was more appropriate to say that his prince had something much more greater than that; shrewdness. Unlike other warriors, who would charge even towards death itself without so much as a thought, his prince would carefully judge the strengths of his opponent before getting into a fight. While this was a commendable quality inside a warrior, there was just a small problem,

"His majesty isn't going to like it at all!"

"Told you earlier, the only one who is afraid of him is *that man* and my stupid younger sister, not me."

"*That man* huh? Why can't you just call him big brother?"

"How I call him is of no concern to you." Kartik said sharply.

"Yes, yes, your highness, whatever you say. But in the future, when he confines you to the cells again, don't tell me that I didn't remind you." Krishna said while standing up and walking towards the door.

"Rest assured, I won't. Oye, where are you going?" Kartik asked him.

Krishna turned backwards, rather, it was someone else who turned backwards to answer him. If Sesha were here, he would've instantly recognized this man as the one called Sir Christopher.

"Just going outside for some fresh air." Christopher, answered him slyly as he turned around and made his way to the door.

Kartik could swear that he heard something like `Linny` as his retainer walked out the door in disguise.

"Despicable."

Kartik said to himself and went to sleep.

* * *

Ananya was an orphan. She had spent her entire childhood in the city's orphanage with other children, orphans like her. Even though it was only a small orphanage, life there was not really bad. She had friends with whom she played during the day and even the managers of the orphanage were nice people. In all honesty, her childhood was quite fun. She used to think about her parents of course. But the fact that she had never known them from the start made it much easier for her to not miss them.

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However, all of it came to an end when the city abruptly cut the funds from the orphanage. The children were torn from the place which they had called home for such a long time. The managers tried to do their best but without the support from the city, there was nothing that they could do. At the end, deciding that anything was better than life on the streets, they decided to take extreme measures and Ananya along with rest of her friends, was sold. And this was how she ended up at the pleasure district as an apprentice. She was ten that year.

From an early age, her training began. For hours she used to take dancing and singing lessons. As it turned out, she had a natural talent to become a performer, an artisan. In a mere two or three years, she became one of the best dancer of the entire district. Even her singing improved leaps and bounds. Her dance could enchant the audience and her singing could even melt the hearts of the harshest of men.

After another two years, something occurred that changed her life; puberty. As she stepped into the doors of adolescence, she began to bloom. While she was merely a cute and talented girl before, now she was becoming an astonishingly beautiful woman. Two beautiful buds of beauty became more pronounced on her breasts and her hips developed alluring curves. Along with these beautiful features, problems began to arise.

She was not even fifteen and already there were men who had set their eyes on her. After every night when her performance ended, these men would attempt to get close to her and find all sorts of excuses to try and touch her in the forbidden places. Nobles and merchants from all over the city began pressuring the owner of her establishment to acquire her. Offers of huge amounts of golds were coming from all over the prefecture, all for being the one to deflower her. Eventually, there came a time when the owner could handle these offers and threats no more. It seemed as if Ananya was doomed to be violated at such a young age.. But that didn't come to pass.

The reason to that was a storm by the name Nagini. She came at this district some five years ago and bought the "Scented Rose" establishment from its previous owner. The very first thing that she did at that establishment instantly earned the trusts of all her girls. She set a rule that no girl at the Scented Rose was to take a man if she did not want to. This of course meant that Ananya was now no longer being offered to some lecherous person with a fat purse, much to her relief and not only her, all of the girls of this establishment were now given much more freedom. They could accept whosoever they wanted and refuse those that they did not want and even name their own price. Due to the arrival of Nagini, this establishment by the name Scented Rose no longer remained a mere whore house.

Naturally, this invited the wrath of many of the previous customers of the establishment. They were now being refused by those who they previously thought of as nothing but lowly wenches. Their pride took a hit and they began threatening this new mistress of the Scented Rose.

She, however, did not yield. No matter how much threat or money she was offered, she stuck to her words and never forced the girls. Eventually, threats were replaced by actions. Goons hired by the furious customers began making trouble at the establishment. But that did not last very long. Much to the wonder of the girls, their new mistress was not only bold but strong too.. Way way strong than any other woman that they had previously seen. Without so much as a scratch on her body, she could single-handedly beat any and all the hoodlums that were sent to vandalise the Scented Rose.

It did not take long before all of the girls in Scented Rose began worshipping their kind and strong mistress. Naturally, Ananya too was one amongst these girls. She simply adored her mistress, not only because she protected her chastity but also because she gave Ananya a place that she could call a home again. This especially made Ananya's devotion towards her mistress much stronger than the rest of the girls.

And this was precisely the reason why Ananya was quite perplexed right now.

It was already dawn and Ananya was pacing up and down inside her mistress' room, Ananya couldn't help but think about the bizarre incident that occurred last night which had something to do with a mysterious boy that she herself had invited to this establishment. Her mistress, whose each and every single move was well thought and logical, had done something quite unexpected regarding this boy and Ananya was here in her mistress' room to talk to her about this very thing which had bugging her since last night.

Eventually, the door to her mistress' private chamber opened and she came out, clearly exhausted from whatever she was doing.

"Ananya, what are you doing so early in my room?" Nagini asked her.

"Good morning ~~mistress~~," instead of replying to her mistress' question, she greeted her in a sing song voice.

"Good morning to you too dear Ananya.. Did you sleep well?" She replied, not minding the fact that Ananya hadn't answered her question.

"Yes mistress.. Thanks again for last night.."

"Silly girl, you need not thank me." Nagini moved closer to her and caressed her face gently.

Ananya closed her eyes, basking herself in her mistress' motherly love, a satisfied smile showing on her face. After caressing her for a while, Nagini moved her hands away which made Ananya open her eyes with a little disappointment.

"What are you working on this time inside your chamber mistress?" She asked Nagini.

"Oh, funny that you should ask. In fact, I just completed it right now." Nagini replied animatedly.

Ananya instantly forgot the reason that had brought her to her mistress' room in the first place.

"Really? The one that you were working on since last year? Can I see it mistress? Please Please pretty please??"

"No need to make such loud noises Ananya, let's go inside and I'll show you.."

Nagini began leading the way and Ananya followed in excited steps. The reason behind her excitement was that not only was her mistress a talented dancer and a singer herself, she also was an sculptor. And the very best one in Ananya's personal opinion. While her mistress didn't exhibit the sculptures that she made, she would often allow Ananya and the rest of the girls to see them and every time the girls witnessed their mistress' works, they couldn't help but feel amazed.

Ananya too was the same. She had always thought that her mistress was a little mysterious. Not only was she beautiful, elegant and strong, but her singing and dancing talents too were top notched. On top of that, she made such beautiful and life like sculptures that could even give the royal sculptors a run for their money.

When inside the room, Ananya viewed her mistress' previous works and once again couldn't help but be amazed at her mistress' talents. One particular sculpture that was currently veiled caught her attention instantly. This was clearly the very recent work of her mistress that she had come to see. This particular sculpture was quite special than others due to more than one reasons.

First, her mistress being a talented sculptor, didn't take more than a month or so to complete her other works but this one had taken her an entire year. Second, never had her mistress spent so much money on the stones for her sculptures than she did this time. For this sculpture, she had bought only the very best of the marbles. And third, never was her mistress so focused on her works before. In fact, there were times when she even went a full day without any food, water or sleep. This was clearly one of her mistress' best works and the fact that she was the first one to see this was making her all the more excited.

As Nagini approached the sculpture and lifted the veil up, Ananya was instantly stunned. Her gaze became fixed towards the image in front of her. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, a full minute passed and she stood there, seeing the image carved in all white before her. Unbeknownst to her, small lines of tear was already overflowing through both of her eyes. Eventually she came out of her stupor.

"W.. Who.. What.. is.. she? So.. So beau.. ti.. full," she couldn't form words properly.

The reason was because the likeliness that was in front of her was nothing like she had ever seen before in her life! It was the sculpture of a woman her own age who was the very definition of beauty. Her divine eyes looked to Ananya as if they were staring right at her soul, her long and sleek hairs looked as if one could lose himself within them and her bodily proportions could only be described a single word; perfect. In fact, even that word failed to capture the image that was before her. And her face.. So pure and beautiful was her face that Ananya couldn't even begin to think of a word to describe it.

Previously, Ananya thought that she was quite a beautiful girl and it was rightly so. But compared to the one before her, she was nothing. Ananya knew that never will there be a day again when she would be able to look at a mirror and say that she is seeing a beautiful girl.

"Mistress.. ," she regained her speech, "What beauty!! Just how could you even imagine someone like this? This.. Mistress, this is the best sculpture that you have ever made!!"

Seeing her reaction, Nagini chuckled.

"Silly girl, how can anyone possibly imagine *her*?"

"You can't possibly mean.. She is REAL!?" Ananya said with an incredulous voice.

"Yes, she is real.. But there are times when I question myself whether she really was real.." Nagini was looking at something much more distant as she said these words.

"Oh mistress.. I can't even.. How can she possibly be so beautiful?" Ananya gasped, looking once again to this celestial image in front of her.

"`So beautiful,` you say? Heh, compared to her, what you see in front of you is nothing but trash."

"How can you say such a thing mistress!! How can *this* be trash!" Ananya pointed at the sculpture and said in a voice that suggested that she was somehow wronged.

"Believe it or not child, she was much much more than this lowly replica of her.. Aah, I can't even begin to tell you about her.."

"Please mistress.. Please I beg you, please tell me everything.." Ananya pleaded to her.

"Perhaps some other time Ananya." Nagini said gently.

This made Ananya visibly disappointed but she did not refute her words. Instead, she faced towards the sculpture and once again began losing her while admiring this godly image.

It was quite a while before she was interrupted out of daze by her mistress..

"Tell me child, what do you think about the boy that you brought with you.."

"Do you mean Sesha mistress?" Ananya asked.

"Yes, Sesha.."

"Well, he is a rather interesting fellow.. Do you know, when I told him last night that your name was Nagini, he refused to believe me.."

"Really? What did he say?" Nagini now had an extremely curious look on her face.

"Hehe.. He said that, `she can't be Nagini.` When I asked him why he thought so, he replied, `Nagini is nothing like your mistress.` Apparently, he too knew someone who was named Nagini. Took me quite a while to convince him that more than one people can share the same name." Ananya had amusement written all over her face when she narrated her conversation with Sesha.

"Anyway mistress.. Just why did you offer Sesha that roo-" Ananya couldn't complete her sentence.

"Why are you crying mistress!!?" She said with alarm as she noticed thin lines of tears leaking through her mistress' eyes.

"It's nothing." Nagini hastily wiped her tears through her sleeves.

Ananya was getting more and more confused with the turn of her events. First her mistress offered that luxurious room to Sesha upon hearing his name and now tears began flowing from her eyes when she mentioned her conversation with Sesha. Evidently, Sesha was having a strange effect upon her.

"Really mistress, why did you offered that room to Sesha when you heard his name?" She asked the question that had been bugging her.

"A room is a petty thing dearest Ananya. If he were to even ask for this entire Scented Rose, I will gift it to him without so much as a thought."

Ananya was slack jawed..

"Why mistress??"

Nagini did not answer her. Instead, she walked in front of the sculpture and looked up at it.

"Do you know Ananya, during all my time that I spent with her, she almost never smiled.. But when she did smile.. Oh my dearest Ananya, just how can I ever describe that smile to you.. That smile was like a thousand suns simultaneously illuminating my entire life.."

Seeing her mistress lost like that, Ananya couldn't help but think about this mysterious person who had such profound effect upon her.

"Why didn't she smile often mistress?" Ananya managed to ask her.

"How could I possibly know that child?" Nagini sighed, "But what I do know is the only thing that could make her smile..

A name..

"Sesha."

* * *

Notes:

[1] literally means Mask in Urdu.

Author's Notes:

Hello all,

Did you like this chapter? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you spot any errors or inconsistencies or you have any suggestions, then let me know them too!